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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitch — completely
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. sharp — clever
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com